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Want to partake in the madness without the competitive overbearing nature of your friends and/or office colleagues?Maybe you don't have any fof these and we can be them for you?...or maybe we're just talking about you.

Anyhow, if you answered yes to above, we've got you covered!

Southern Wisconsin NACE wants to invite our friends and family to join our March Madness bracket. Why, you ask? All proceeds will benefit our community efforts with the Guest House of Milwaukee. (Scroll down to learn more!)

How do we sweeten the deal? Our members have partnered to offer you some great prizes! See them below the banner.

It's easy to join!

1. Pay the entry fee with us:March Madness - Bracket!It will be $5 for each bracket you want to enter. Submit as many as you want, but remember: we will only count one bracket per ticket purchased. Again, all proceeds go to the Guest House of Milwaukee!

Located in the King Park neighborhood, the Guest House of Milwaukee has been leading the community in providing shelter, housing, education, and services to Milwaukee’s homeless who seek to transform their lives with dignity and purpose for the last 35 years. By utilizing a solutions-focused, case management model with access to an onsite Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse and Behavioral Health Counseling Clinic for those who require such services, case managers and clinicians are able to work in partnership to best support each of the 86 adult men receiving onsite services in achieving permanent housing, a family supporting income, sustained sobriety, and stable mental health.

The Guest House also provides case management to nearly 400 permanent, supported housing units for formerly homeless men, women, and families and offers a wide variety of educational opportunities and transformative services. Since 2007, the Guest House has grown their permanent, supportive housing programs by 900% and is routinely consulted and contracted by local municipalities when existing programs are expanded and/or new programs are launched.

Altogether, the Guest House serves approximately 1,000 individuals between shelter, housing, education, and clinic programs on an annual basis and has particular interest and expertise in assisting the hardest-to-serve homeless – those who struggle with maintaining stable mental health, those who are working to overcome addictions, those who are disabled (physically, cognitively, etc.), those who may have history with the criminal justice system, and those who are considered to be chronically homeless due to various circumstances. The Guest House welcomes individuals who are progressing through various stages of recovery and has a proven track record of being able to assist even those with the most severe challenges regain and maintain independence.

In 2012, the executive director and board of directors recognized that the physical limitations of the then 116-year-old building were incompatible to the demands of the space. They launched a $2.6 million capital campaign to renovate and expand the shelter by 8,000 square feet. Construction began in August 2015 and was completed in September 2016. A few of the project highlights include enhancements to the dormitories and restrooms, addition of a new communal restroom, construction of a commercial-grade kitchen, expanded dining room, addition of one-on-one meeting rooms as well as small and large group meeting rooms, increased capacity to accommodate growing staff, and improved safety features throughout.

We are humbled and overjoyed each time we witness the positive impact on those we serve that we knew the improvements would make possible. Our physical environment finally matches the high quality of the programs and services we offer.

Cream City Garden

The Cream City Garden is a one-acre urban garden owned and operated by the Guest House in partnership with Friedens Community Ministries, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and UW-Extension. Over the course of several years, the Guest House purchased and demolished dilapidated houses on the residential block directly across the street from the shelter in a space where the garden now resides. These houses were the source of unsavory and unsafe activities.

Each year, we add new features to the garden increasing our overall yield. In 2014, in partnership with the Brewers Community Foundation, we built an award-winning rainwater-harvesting pavilion on the south end of the garden. We are currently in the early stages of planning to acquire the last remaining abandoned property on the north end of the garden in hopes of constructing an above ground irrigation system to provide water to the north end of the garden.

In 2016, we harvested over 500 pounds of produce that was consumed in shelter, shared with our neighbors, distributed through Friedens Food Pantry, and utilized by other free meal sites throughout the community.

The Cream City Gardens serve as one of our greatest volunteer engagement opportunities!

Volunteer Opportunities

Cream City Gardens

Preparing and serving a meal*

Teaching a life skills class (curriculum provided)

Hosting a game night (games provided)

Assisting at or attending a special event (see below)

Special projects & special events

And many more…

*The Guest House does not have a budget for food and relies on the community to purchase, prepare, and serve dinner each night out of our new, commercial-grade kitchen. A combination of friends and families, faith-based communities, and restaurant partners satisfy this need. Restaurant partners include, but are not limited to, Milwaukee Brat House, The Lowlands Group, Black Shoe Hospitality, Sanford Restaurant, Wolf Peach Restaurant…just to name a few! (Breakfast usually consists of bakery and cereal/oatmeal while lunch usually consists of a bag lunch

Undy 500May: Launched in 2013, the Undy 500 runs annually from May 1 until the Thursday prior to the Indy 500. During this time, individuals (friends & family, workplace, faith based communities, etc) form teams to collect new packages of socks, underwear, & t-shirts. On the Thursday prior to the Indy 500, teams drop off their items at the “pit stop” during the Finish Line Party. The team that collects the most items, wins underwear key chains in the Guest House colors – as well as yearlong bragging rights!

Golf OutingAugust 28 @ North Shore Country Club

Harvest FestSeptember 14: On this day, we gather to celebrate the growing season and honor those individuals who are completed the agricultural training program. We close the street and replace the traffic with music, food, and friendship. This is a free, community event.

NovemBeardNovember: As an individual or a team, raise awareness for men’s health by growing out facial hair and soliciting donations from friends & family and/or host a hygiene supply drive!

Giving TreeEvery year, the Guest House relies on businesses, faith based communities, and friends groups to gather new items from our wish list to be given to the guests in shelter during the holiday season. (We also have ongoing special requests throughout the year that keep our shelves stocked for those we serve!)